Method of assemblying a truck body

ABSTRACT

A method of assembling a truck body from prefabricated parts by attachment of rear and front wall assemblies, hooking a roof on the front wall and lowering it onto the rear wall, connecting on the side walls, utilizing a roof rail hooking leg attaching to front and side wall top caps, and interfitting corner posts and side wall edges.

51 May 13, 1975 United States Patent [1 1 Mooney et al.

[ METHOD OF ASSEMBLYING A TRUCK BODY r e d M R e D [75] Inventors:Edward L. Mooney; Kenneth L. 9/1968 Pritchard, both of Baltimore, Md.3,729,884 5/ 1973 Pritchard-King, Inc Md.

., Baltimore,

[73] Assignee:

Primary Examiner-Charlie T. Moon Attorney, Agent, or Firml(arl W. Flocks[22] Filed: Mar. 5, 1974 [57] ABSTRACT A method of assembling a truckbody from prefabricated parts by attachment of rear and front wall as-21 Appl. No.: 448,197

[52] U.S. CI. 29/469; 52/262; 52/588;

52/747 323 21 00 semblies, hooking a roof on the front wall and lower-29/453, 469; 52/262, 588,

[51] Int.

ing it onto the rear wall, connecting on the side walls, utilizing aroof rail hooking leg attaching to front and [58] Field ofSearch........

side wall top caps, and interfitting corner posts and side wall edges.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8 Claims, 13 Drawing FiguresPATENTEUHAYWQYB 3.882.592

SHEET 10F 3 PMENTEURAY 1 31% 3,882,592

sum 2 3 PATENTED MAY 1 3l975 SHEET 3 BF 3 FIG 5 FIG 5C METHOD OFASSEMBLYING A TRUCK BODY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The presentinvention relates to assembly of truck bodies, both to a method ofassembly of a truck body for a type of body such as on a dry freight vanor a van such as may be adapted for use, and to interfitting shapedparts which allow ease of fabrication.

Prior art means for assembling a truck body of such a van has usuallyfollowed the pattern of placing rear and front assemblies on anunderframe assembly, clamping side walls to the underframe assembly, andthen lowering a roof assembly onto the shell of front, rear, and sides.The shell walls would be fitted into roof rail openings. The shell mustthen be hand drilled along the roof rail, front corner posts, and rearcomer posts for rivets and through posts for bolts with the workcompleted by riveting by a two man operation, a driver and a bucker.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention seeks to speed up theassembly of the truck body through use of prefabricated parts whereinall punching and riveting is done previous to assembly and the workersremain at floor level during all steps of assembly.

The present invention defines an order of steps for assembly allowingfaster movement of truck bodies along an assembly line without the needfor a rivetor and helper on the assembly line where final assembly takesplace.

The present invention also defines interfitting parts of roof rail, toppost caps, corner posts, and side edges for quick assembly.

Basically in the method of assembly the front and rear frames areattached to an underframe assembly, a roof is hooked on and lowered ontothe front and rear frames respectively, and side walls are then hungonto the roof so as to interfit with corner posts followed by attachmentof sides to underframe by bolts and nuts through pre-located andprepunched holes and pop riveting at cormer posts.

The interfitting parts involve a roof rail with hooking means forhooking to a top post cap on a front (or rear assembly) and for hookingside walls thereto.

The interfitting parts also involve edges on side walls fitted intocorner posts and shaped to receive and be connected by a pop rivet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention can best be understoodby referring to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and illustrates the steps in the method of the presentinvention for assembling a truck body;

FIGS 3A and 3B are cross-sectioned views of the roof and front wallinterfitted portions in raised and lowered positions of the roofrespectively;

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectioned view of the roof and side wall interfittedportions during the step of connection shown in FIG. 4;

FIGS. 4B and 4C are cross-sectioned views of interfitted portions of theside wall with the front and rear corner posts respectively in separatedpositions; and

FIGs. 5A, 5B and 5C are cross-sectioned views of interfitted side andunderframe and of the interfitted portions shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C,respectively, fitted together.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the assembly of a truck bodysuch as might be used for a refrigerated body, a rear frame sub-assembly11 consisting of comer post 12, and header and gutter 13 are placed onunderframe assembly 14 as shown in FIG. 1.

A front wall assembly 15 consisting of corner posts 16, vertical bodyposts 17, with panels 18 therebetween, and a panel cap 19 over the topis also placed on the underframe assembly 14 as shown in FIG. 2. Comerposts 16, body posts 17, panels 18, and panel cap 19 are previouslyriveted before this assembly.

Up to this point the assembly is not substantially different from themethods of the prior art.

In the next step in the present novel method of assembly a roof 21 whichmay be carried on an overhead travelling crane 20 is positioned over theassembly and lowered at an angle as depicted in FIG. 3. The roof 21 ishooked over front wall assembly 15 by mating hook leg 22 of roof rail 23with bulb 24- of panel cap 19 of front wall assembly,15 as illustratedin raised and lowered positions in cross-section in FIGS. 3A and 3B,respectively.

Next, prefabricated sidewalls 26 are positioned beside the assembly byoverhead travelling crane 20, and while held at an angle as illustratedin FIG. 4, sidewall top cap 27, is mated with hook leg 22 on thelongitudinal side of roof rail 23 as illustrated in cross-section inFIG. 4A. The sidewall 26 is then lowered against the sides of the truckassembly, automatically mating sidewall corner posts 28 with frontcorner post 16 and rear corner post 12 on one side of the truck body.This is illustrated in plan cross-section views in FIGS. 48, 5B andFIGS. 4C, 5C, respectively. In each case grooved and projecting portionof a sidewall comer post 28 fits into a complementary projecting andgrooved portion of either a front or rear corner post, 16 or 12. Thisstep takes place either consecutively or concurrently to each ofsidewalls 26 on both sides of the truck body assembly. As noted allsteps can be done with workers at floor level and therefore time lost byworkers climbing alongside or on the truck body is reduced or completelyeliminated.

Front, rear, and side corner posts all have prepunched holes aligned forreceiving pop-rivets therethrough as designated in FIGS. 58 and 5C,respectively. Pre-punched holes as shown in FIG. 5A are aligned in rubrail 29 which extends along the bottom edge of sidewall 26 and in sideangles 31 on underframe assembly 14. As a last step shown in the presentmethod, FIG. 5 illustrates the one-man operation of attaching thesidewalls 26 to underframe assembly 14 through pre-located andpre-punched holes with bolts and nuts and the aforementionedpop-riveting to secure the shell.

The method of truck body assembly described above is facilitated throughuse of interfitting parts which connect as illustrated in the moredetailed cross-sectioned views.

One of these parts is roof rail 23 having hook leg 22 which extendsalong the front and sides of the roof. Al tematively it could have thehook leg 22 construction on the rear instead of the front but notnecessarily on both the front and the rear. Depending of course onwhether the hook leg 22 was on the front or rear, the

complementary shaped panel cap 19 would have to be I connected on thecorresponding front or rear assembly and the roof sloped during assemblytoward that appropriate end. The remaining side of the roof 21 withouthook leg 22 would probably have at least the inner vertical flange and ahorizontal flange to complete the closure.

Additionally the roof rail 23 and its hook leg 22 facil' itate theassembly of sidewalls 26 to the truck body as shown in FIGS. 4 and 4A.Complementary sidewall top cap 27 with bulb 25 allows insertion ofsidewalls 26 to hang them from roof 21. lnterfitting. groove andprojection shaped sidewall corner posts 28 which fit directly intogroove and projection complementary shaped front and rear corner posts16 and 12 allow completion of the simple and economical type of assemblyof the sidewalls 26 onto the truck body.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes maybe made without departing from the scope of the invention and theinvention is not to be considered limited to what is shown in thedrawings and described in the specification.

What is claimed is: 1. A method of assembling a truck body fromprefabricated parts comprising the steps of placing and attaching frontwall and rear frame assemblies on an underframe assembly, attaching aroof onto one and lowering the opposite end of the roof on the other ofsaid front wall and rear frame assemblies, attaching sidewall assemblieson opposite sides of said roof and mating the vertical edges of saidsidewall assemblies with corner posts on said front wall and rear frameassemblies, i and attaching said sidewall assemblies to said underframe.

2. The method of assembling a truck body according to claim 1, furthercharacterized by 5 attaching said sidewall assemblies to said; cornerposts of said front wall andrear frame assemblies. 3. The method ofassembling a truck body according l i to claim 2, further characterizedby t s attaching said sidewall assemblies to said corner posts of saidfront wall and rearframe assemblies by riveting through pre-formedholes.

4. the method The assembling a truck body according to claim 1, furthercharacterized by attaching said sidewall assemblies to said underframe fwith bolts and nuts, with said bolts appliedthrough pre-formed holes. 5.The method of assembling to claim 1, further characterized by attachingsaid roof onto one of said front wall and rear frame assemblies byhooking said roof onto R said one of said assemblies; 6. The method ofassembling a truck body according to claim 1, further characterized byattaching said sidewall assemblies on opposite :sides of said roof byhooking said sidewall assemblies,

and said roof together. 1

7. The method of assembling a truck body according.

to claim 1, further characterized by V attaching said one of saidfrontwall and rear frame assemblies and said sidewall assemblies to said roofby hooking a hooked shaped edge on said roof onto a capped portion onsaid assemblies.

to claim 1, further characterized by attaching said sidewall assembliesto said roof by.

holding each said sidewall assembly at an angle to with a hook leg of arail on said roof and then low,-

. front wall and rear frameassemblies.

a truck body according mate a cap top portion of said sidewall assembly

1. A method of assembling a truck body from prefabricated partscomprising the steps of placing and attaching front wall and rear frameassemblies on an underframe assembly, attaching a roof onto one andlowering the opposite end of the roof on the other of said front walland rear frame assemblies, attaching sidewall assemblies on oppositesides of said roof and mating the vertical edges of said sidewallassemblies with corner posts on said front wall and rear frameassemblies, and attaching said sidewall assemblies to said underframe.2. The method of assembling a truck body according to claim 1, furthercharacterized by attaching said sidewall assemblies to said corner postsof said front wall and rear frame assemblies.
 3. The method ofassembling a truck body according to claim 2, further characterized byattaching said sidewall assemblies to said corner posts of said frontwall and rear frame assemblies by riveting through pre-formed holes. 4.the method The assembling a truck body according to claim 1, furthercharacterized by attaching said sidewall assemblies to said underframewith bolts and nuts, with said bolts applied through pre-formed holes.5. The method of assembling a truck body according to claim 1, furthercharacterized by attaching said roof onto one of said front wall andrear frame assemblies by hooking said roof onto said one of saidassemblies.
 6. The method of assembling a truck body according to claim1, further characterized by attaching said sidewall assemblies onopposite sides of said roof by hooking said sidewall assemblies and saidroof together.
 7. The method of assembling a truck body according toclaim 1, further characterized by attaching said one of said front walland rear frame assemblies and said sidewall assemblies to said roof byhooking a hooked shaped edge on said roof onto a capped portion on saidassemblies.
 8. The method of assembling a truck body according to claim1, further characterized by attaching said sidewall assemblies to saidroof by holding each said sidewall assembly at an angle to mate a captop portion of said sidewall assembly with a hook leg of a rail on saidroof and then lowering the lower end of the sidewall assembly to matethe vertical sides with corner posts on said front wall and rear frameassemblies.